I speak the truth not so much as I would, but as much as I dare, and I dare a little more as I grow older. truth
The confidence in another man's virtue is no light evidence of a man's own, and God willingly favors such a confidence. God
My trade and art is to live. art
Age imprints more wrinkles in the mind than it does on the face. age
There is not much less vexation in the government of a private family than in the managing of an entire state. family & government
Let us permit nature to have her way. She understands her business better than we do. business & nature
There are some defeats more triumphant than victories. failure
It is not death, it is dying that alarms me. death
Those who have compared our life to a dream were right... we were sleeping wake, and waking sleep. dreams
I prefer the company of peasants because they have not been educated sufficiently to reason incorrectly. education
A good marriage would be between a blind wife and a deaf husband. good & marriage
The thing I fear most is fear. fear
If you press me to say why I loved him, I can say no more than because he was he, and I was I. love
Death, they say, acquits us of all obligations. death
Valor is stability, not of legs and arms, but of courage and the soul. courage
There is no passion so contagious as that of fear. fear
Stubborn and ardent clinging to one's opinion is the best proof of stupidity. best
I write to keep from going mad from the contradictions I find among mankind - and to work some of those contradictions out for myself. work
There is little less trouble in governing a private family than a whole kingdom. family
Every one rushes elsewhere and into the future, because no one wants to face one's own inner self. future
We can be knowledgable with other men's knowledge but we cannot be wise with other men's wisdom. knowledge & wisdom
The most certain sign of wisdom is cheerfulness. wisdom
No pleasure has any savor for me without communication. communication
How many things we held yesterday as articles of faith which today we tell as fables. faith
For truly it is to be noted, that children's plays are not sports, and should be deemed as their most serious actions. sports
It is good to rub and polish our brain against that of others. intelligence
Marriage, a market which has nothing free but the entrance. marriage
The strangest, most generous, and proudest of all virtues is true courage. courage
The ceaseless labour of your life is to build the house of death. death
If there is such a thing as a good marriage, it is because it resembles friendship rather than love. friendship, good, love & marriage
There is no desire more natural than the desire for knowledge. knowledge
Marriage is like a cage one sees the birds outside desperate to get in, and those inside equally desperate to get out. marriage